An Hour's Distance
by Ice Princess Xia
Summary: Based on actual events. Matt and Tai struggle through their long distance relationship as Tai leaves for college. Matt is forced to learn how to deal with his jealousy, anger, lonliness and tears. Taito. Matt's POV. Very AU.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters used in this story and I am not making any profit from writing it.

(Author's Notes) -

Hey everybody! I'm back with a new Digimon story. I'd like to point out that this story is based on actual events from my life. (Please note that several things have been altered in order to base actual events around the characters involved. Personalities and events are most likely highly exaggerated in some situations.) Most subjects in this story are very near to my heart and soul so please bare with me.

'Blah blah' – denotes thoughts

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter One: Parting Ways

"Are you going to be okay?"

I sighed at my boyfriend's question and broke our eye contact. 'Of course I'm not going to be okay…but I have to put on a brave face...for Tai.' I try to hold back the tears as Tai lifts my chin.

"Matt…you have to look at me. It's okay if you cry but if you don't talk to me now, it could be a long time before we see each other face to face again." I could see those chocolate eyes watering and couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"Don't remind me…" I couldn't bare to think about it. Neither of us had cars to travel with or friends that would possibly take us to see each other as often as we'd like. If we were lucky, we'd get see each other once every two months. My breathing was shaky as Tai gently wiped my tears away but I knew that he was right and savored our last moments. I stared deep in his eyes before laying my head on Tai's shoulder and wrapping my arms around him tight. With a small sigh, Tai pulled me close and kissed my forehead.

I felt Tai jump as we heard a loud honk and yelling from outside my apartment. Silently, I cursed Tai's soccer buddies that were going off to college with him and clung to Tai tighter. Tai embraced me briefly but I could feel as he began to let go. My eyes watered enough to overflow but I stopped the tears from falling. I wanted to cling longer but I gave in and let Tai go; I felt my heart break a little as I did.

I turned away as Tai swung his duffle bag over his shoulder and flashed a half fake smile at him when he looked back to me. He pulled me in for one last hug and kiss before opening the door just as another honk rang out from four floors down. I watched as Tai ran down to his friends and, even though I knew Tai was hurting inside, I still felt that he wasn't as hurt as I was. He was moving on to better things while I was getting left behind.

After Tai greeted his fellow jocks, he looked back up to me and mouthed an 'I love you.' I mimicked his words and blew him a kiss. He smiled and I could only stare as the love of my life sped down the road.

I walked around my empty apartment and found that everything reminded me of him and all of the times we spent here. Since my dad is never home, we usually spent afternoons here without the hassle of anyone checking up on us constantly. In my mind, I could see our memories playing out before me like a movie. I could see him hugging me from behind with that big mischievous grin on his face while I tried to cook to no avail. I felt more tears filling up my eyes and clenched my fists tightly.

"Come on Matt. He's only an hour away from here. You cannot be serious about being this upset…you're acting like you're never going to see him again." My voice echoed throughout the apartment but as much as I tried to talk myself out of it, I simply could not keep from crying. Defeated, I dragged myself to my room, locked the door behind me and collapsed into a pile of tears on my bed.

How was it? Please Review! Any suggestions or constructive criticism is welcome (as well as praise.) I know it was a short chapter but this is only the beginning. Also, the title for this story was thought of just so I could post it so if anyone has a better title that they think would work, please tell me. Or if you think that the current title is great, tell me that too.

:What's Up Next:

Chapter 2 will go back to the beginning where Matt and Tai's relationship first began in one fateful moment.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Not mine blah blah blah.

- (Author's Notes) -

Thank you so much to all of my reviewers! Your support is very much appreciated and very motivating for me to write even more.

Sorry that chapter 1 was so brief. I just had to get this story started and posted so that I could continue with it. Also, I forgot to mention that this story is AU. None of the characters have ever met before and the Digiworld never happened.

In this chapter, I'm going back to the day that Tai and Matt first met (basically a year before the first chapter). Bare with me because it might seem boring and wordy but this is still important to lead up to everything that will happen up to the first chapter and beyond. I'm also starting to bring in a few of the other Digimon characters but some of their ages may be different so this is how they'll be in this story.

Tai & Mimi 18

Matt & Sora 17

For now, that's all the characters that need to be mentioned. One last note, I'm not completely aware of all the Japanese school methods and whatnot so I'm just going to write by what I know by experience.

Alright, now that all of that is said, enjoy Chapter 2!

Chapter 2: Teachers, Classes and a Smile

August 11, 2003.

My first day of high school as a junior began at 7:28am. The whole day was a blur; realizing that I had no classes with my friends, not even my fake friends, was the cherry on top of the perfect first day. Finally, I had found my first class. I walked in and scanned for a familiar face but, to no surprise, found none.

'Great…now to find a seat.' I scanned the room again as I walked forward. On one side of the room was my very angry and vengeful ex-girlfriend. I took one glance at her severely fake smile and genuinely evil glare and immediately moved for the opposite side of the room. Suddenly, a smile caught me eye. I looked to find a boy with chocolate brown eyes and crazy brown hair smiling me. I'd never seen him before but, on an impulse I never thought I had, I sat down next to him anyways. He didn't seem to mind so I just sat and watched as more students filed into the classroom.

The bell rang and the teacher took her place in front of us.

"Good afternoon class. My name is Mrs. Faulkner. Welcome to Algebra 3." She wrote her name on the board and turned to a pile of books. She began passing them to each row and telling us to write our names in them with a pen.

I pulled my pen out of the being of my spiral notebook and waited for the girl next to me to pass down the two books for myself and the mystery boy next to me. I passed the other book down, opened my own, and casually wrote my name on the inside cover. Just as I was finishing, I heard a voice next to me.

"Hey…um…do you think that I could borrow your pen for a second? I forgot mine." I looked to my left and saw that smile again. I nodded to him and put my pen down on our desk for him to use. (1) He quickly wrote his name and handed my pen back to me.

"Thanks," he paused and watched as I put my pen back into my notebook. When I had finished, he spoke again.

"I'm Taichi by the way." He smiled again and I couldn't help it but to smile back at him.

"I'm Yamato but you can call me Matt if you want."

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Matt."

"It's nice to meet you too." Suddenly, Mrs. Faulkner's monotonous voice stopped us from speaking anymore that day.

My second day wasn't as bad as the first. Once the awkward feeling of meeting new teachers and new people had passed, it wasn't so bad being on my own. Now that I didn't _have_ to meet people, it was easier. I was better off on my own; I didn't need anymore people in my life that didn't know my secret and just made me feel guilty for not telling them.

It was also better because I found out that my best friend Mimi and I shared the same lunch period. The two of us are quite a pair; we are proof that opposites attract. Mimi is the flamboyant, social, emotional, positive one while I am shy, stoic, cynical and sarcastic. I've always admired her ability to talk openly and express herself even though I knew that sometimes she really wasn't speaking the truth.

The day passed and I walked into my last class to find Taichi waiting for me. I sat down next to him and class began.

-----

Mrs. Faulkner hadn't noticed but half the class had fallen to sleep merely ten minutes into her lesson. I was struggling to stay awake myself until a piece of paper was placed down in front of me. I glanced down and saw what it said.

'She is so boring…but how was your day?'

I chuckled to myself and wrote back to Taichi that my day had been okay and asked him the same. Throughout Mrs. Faulkner's lesson, we secretly wrote notes back and forth to each other about random everyday stuff until she told us that we could pack up our books. I started to put all of my stuff into my bag when Taichi spoke up.

"Hey, do you have instant messenger?" I nodded to him in response.

"Yeah, I practically live on my computer."

"Cool," he paused to write something down. He tore off a small piece of paper with his screen name on it. "I'm on a lot too unless I'm with the family or something. What's your screen name?" I wrote mine down as well just as the bell rang. After we put our chairs up on our desk, Taichi and I headed down the hallway.

I looked ahead of us and suddenly spotted Mimi in the crowd. I waved her down and she ran over to me.

"Hey Matt, we're walking home together right?" I smiled and nodded to her. Mimi only lives down the road from my apartment complex so we would always walk home together and end up sitting outside of her apartment talking for hours on end after school.

"Of course Mimi," I saw her peer over at Taichi and remembered that I hadn't introduced them. "Oh, right! Sorry. Mimi, this is…"

"Tai?" I raised my eyebrow and looked at the both of them.

"Mimi?"

"Have I already introduced you or something?"

"No, we met at this party a long time ago. Wow, how have you been Tai?"

"I've been alright. Glad to finally be a senior."

"Me too!" Mimi replied with the same enthusiasm.

"You guys are lucky. I've got another year of torture after this, depending on if I can even survive this year." I sighed to myself as Tai patted me on the back supportively.

"Yeah, but you're senior year will be fun!" I shook my head at Mimi's positive attitude and the three of us walked out of the school.

Over the next few weeks, I got to know Tai better and I felt more and more inclined to tell him my secret even though I still barely knew him. I tried to ask Mimi for advice but even she didn't know how serious my situation really was. For some reason though, I just wanted to be able to trust someone with my secret. Mimi knew what it was but not how bad it was and my fake friend Sora knew but had more important things to deal with in her life like what shoes to wear with her new skirt.

Most of all, I needed help; I needed to stop lying to people and I needed to stop feeling bad about everything. I had made up my mind. I was determined to tell Taichi my most guarded secret.

Well? What could possibly be Matt's secret? You'll just have to wait until chapter 3.

(1) – I said that Matt put his pen down onto "our" desk. I just wanted to say that Matt and Tai are sharing a desk but it's not a regular sized desk. It's a lab table.

Anyways, please please Review! More reviewsMore motivation to write the next chapter.


	3. This Is Not An Update It's an AN

I'm sorry to everyone that was reading this story. I really wanted to finish this story and keep updating as it happened in my real life, but so many things have happened. I'm now in college and up to my neck in work. I'm also not in a relationship anymore. If I can somehow manage to, I'm going to try my best to continue this story but for right now unfortunately, it will just have to wait.

Ice


End file.
